Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

This is the last Friday Frolics before Christmas. Feel free to link up as many links as you like – this will be a bumper Christmas special. I’m hoping to see some festive funnies as Christmas is my favourite time of year. Thank you to everyone who has participated in Friday Frolics this year. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and we hope to see you when we return on 12th January 2018.

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up last week. Hope to see some festive funnies over the next couple of weeks – Christmas and humour are two of my favourite things.

Friday Favourites

As it was a quiet week, we haven’t selected favourites this week – you were all our favourites!

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

This is an important Public Service Announcement for all expectant parents: call your kids Bob. All of them. Whatever their gender. Bob. Trust me.

You will thank me when they get to their first Christmas in school and insist they are writing Christmas cards to their entire class*, despite their limited writing abilities and even more limited attention spans. Not to mention the not being able to remember the names of all the kids, and the being no use whatsoever on the correct spelling (for some names the options span the full gamut of English spelling, Irish spelling, American spelling, deliberately misspelt and accidentally misspelt). And those two kids whose names you really suspect (or hope) your child has misheard. Periwinkle? Are you sure??

‘To Bob, from Bob’ is just easier. Doesn’t even need the ‘to’ or ‘from’, really. Just ‘Bob’ at the top of the card and ‘Bob’ at the bottom. Or Bob scrawled across the middle.

Incidentally, I’m pretty sure To Bob, From Bob was in my four year old’s book bag the other week. Or perhaps it was Ode to Bob. Or just Bob. Something like that. I’m sure I remember writing an insightful comment in the reading record: ‘Sounded out and blended Bob really well. By page five, it might have been more of an educated guess that it probably said Bob. Again. But she displayed good recollection of Bob.’

‘I am Bob. Bob am I. Am I Bob? Bob I am.’ I think the reading scheme for EYFS was written by Yoda’s cousin (Bob).

*They will also, of course, be personally writing cards to their teachers; the headteacher; the class next to theirs; the after school club; some kid’s mother (they can’t remember who that kid or his mother is, but she must have a card); a random lady unconnected to the school, who happened to be passing by the gates this morning; five dinner ladies; four teaching assistants; three classmates’ siblings; two school inspectors and a partridge in a pear tree.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time. 1st December: it’s nearly Christmas. Bring on the festive frolics!

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Mom to Two Little Girls – How Being a PA Prepared Me for Motherhood
! I think all parents can relate to the feeling that they have somehow found themselves employed – without pay – as their kids’ PA.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘Pass The Wine Please – The Secret Life of Kids TV Characters. This post was pure genius and so funny, I may have actually peed my pants a little. Finally Mayor Goodway is making some financially sound decisions.’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Old House in the Shires – Tales From a Teacher: the Nativity Play. This was the perfect festive Friday Frolics. A Christmas themed post that had me howling with laughter but was very also uplifting too. I loved reading this and it took me back to Oldest’s first nativity play. That’s a long story and one I may share next week 🙂 ‘

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘So Happy In Town – Tips to Look After Your Husband (1950 vs 2017). I think equality for women still has a long way to go, but Susie’s post made me realise how far we’ve come. It also made me howl with laughter.’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Mumzilla – Inner Monologue Of Explaining Bodily Functions. Oh we have all been there. Been on that toilet, squeezed into a cubicle with our little darling, squirming as they ask something very inappropriate. Jersey is still recovering from the time Youngest asked me very loudly in a public toilet, “Mummy, why are you bleeding from your big bottom”. Oh the shame.’

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time.

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Daily Dump – What ‘”It’s Time To Go” Means To My Kids. This is so true! It is just impossible to leave the house with kids, no matter when you start. Trying to get shoes on kids is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘Mom of Two Little Girls – Anything But a Fight With My Four Year Old. Don’t poke the bear is an expression well used in my house. If my three year old is happy and content, leave him be. He hates being interrupted from sleep / play / food / bath time / Bubble Guppies. This post made me laugh because it is so true.’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Tales From Mamaville – 5 Things Every Mum Needs Nicole has nailed it here. Give me these 5 things every night and I would be one very happy mama! Trashy television is at the top of my list. I could probably tell you the life-story for everyone on The Apprentice. Yes, I am addicted to trashy television.’

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Apologies for last week – due to a catalogue of disasters, I wasn’t able to get the linky post up. Thank you to those who linked up their fantastic funny posts. This week, I have decided that we are now in the festive season. Or at least festive season adjacent. Close enough. So I’m linking up a post from a couple of years ago about the weird things we accept regarding Christmas.

Friday Favourites

As it was a quiet week, we haven’t selected favourites this week – you were all our favourites!

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time.

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Tales From Mamaville – Overheard: Seven Common School Run Conversations. I’m now a school mum since September, and I have had pretty much all these conversations. I have been known to be yelling ‘STOOOOPPPP!’ at two different kids running at Usain Bolt speeds in OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘The Mummy Bubble – A Baby’s Guide to Coping With Sleep Deprivation. The little one is currently obsessed with the movie The Boss Baby. Couldn’t help but read this post from The Mummy Bubble with the voice of The Boss Baby in my head. It was very fitting. A must read for parents to be. Or maybe not. It might put them off!’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Apply to Face Blog – Halloween Treats. I love this post because it combines a funny story with some yummy Halloween treats! I can also relate to the swimming story. I had to give up on swimming lessons for my two: I couldn’t cope with the stress. My two were forever running in opposite directions and don’t even mention the showers. I had to stop before I ended up pushing a parent into the pool. ‘

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time.

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: And Other Idiots – Parent Races. The sports events all parents will be familiar with: home-school-home-school sprints, Lego obstacle courses and Disney marathons. And I have no real idea what a school cluster f**k – sorry, fun – run is, but it sounds like quite something!

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Daily Dump Show – Help Wanted. I love this post and it had me doing a evil cackle (not because it’s nearly Halloween, that’s just how I laugh), a post that will make us all laugh!’

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time.

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Four Princesses and the Cheese – Oatmeal in the Underwear Drawer. Kristin has ferrets, I mean twin toddlers, and they have a hilarious hoarding habit. So now Kristin has potatoes in decorative boxes and oatmeal in her underwear. This type of thing is hysterical when it’s not happening to you.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘Pass The Wine Please – Fun at the Farm: An A-Z Guide. I’ve chosen Pass The Wine Please for two weeks running now, but this post really made me laugh. I mean it includes the line, “When a goose gets all up in your grill.”‘

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Web M Diva – Gift Giving for Your Not so Loved Ones. This made me spit tea through my nostrils. The perfect collection of presents for those lovely people you are just a little bit less keen….Would make the perfect Secret Santa gift for Barry from Accounts ;-)’

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

As a parent, it is part of our job to teach our children…stuff, right? You know, educate them, teach them about the world around them, and…stuff. Yes?

Okay, so this week, I went to supermarket with the littlest one, who has just turned three. She had one of the free pieces of fruit while we went round. An apple. She sat in the trolley. She ate her apple. Food was purchased. Bribery was not necessary. I left the shop with the same number of children I entered with. At no point did I have to break any of Usain Bolt’s records in the dairy aisle* in order to make leaving with the same number of children I entered with happen. It was a very successful supermarket trip.

We went back to the car. I put the shopping in the car. I put the three year old in the car. She handed me the apple core. I looked around. There were no bins anywhere in sight in the car park. I could have run back to the shop, but we weren’t very near the shop and she was already strapped in the car. We were parked right by a grass verge and hedgerow. So I put the apple core under the hedge, because it’s an apple core.

The three year old had a few questions about this behaviour. I explained that it is okay to put rubbish on grass or soil instead of the bin as long as the rubbish is natural, like apple cores, because it will rot. I said that it would be very bad to leave rubbish like plastic there because that will never rot. It will stay there, and it doesn’t look nice and it harms the environment. I said that things that people have made that are not natural usually have to be taken away properly by people, but things that belong outside like leaves and fruit don’t cause any harm when they are left outside. They just rot back into the soil and feed plants. The discussion continued. It seemed to be going well. I got ambitious. I said that we call things that will rot ‘biodegradable’, but things like plastic are not biodegradable. The three year old had this: ‘Because they won’t rot. Plastic won’t rot.’
‘Yes, exactly. Well done.’
‘And hedgehogs. Hedgehogs won’t rot.’
‘Wait…what? No…’

Okay, so now I’m explaining that hedgehogs are, in fact, very much biodegradable. As long as they are dead first. The whole thing took quite a dark turn, really.

Moral of the story: don’t teach your kids things. It won’t go well. When you see a teachable moment, just let it pass you by. Wave it on its way. Unless you want to find yourself explaining about hedgehog decomposition. It does not matter how unlikely it seems that you will find yourself discussing hedgehog decomposition by providing that innocent bit of educational information to your child: you will end up with dead hedgehogs.

I really should have known better. I once, whilst painting with my two pre-schoolers, merrily informed them that black is not really a colour. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Didn’t seem like such a good idea 30 minutes into the discussion with a four year old and a nearly three year old about what the f**k black actually is.

These moments are not teachable moments. These moments are the reason the phrase ‘just because’ exists. There is nothing like attempting to explain the world to a small child to make you realise that you don’t have the faintest clue about anything at all.

*That’s me who often ends up sprinting down the dairy aisle. I don’t think Usain Bolt has actually set any of his records in the dairy aisle. As far as I know, he does not hold the world record in the 5 Metre Toddler in a Dairy Aisle event.

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time. This week, a massive congratulations to our very own Claire, who won the Readers’ Choice award at the BiBs. Very well deserved – of course, we already knew she was brilliant!

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Turning Up In Devon – Village survival, getting emosh about emojis! I had not realised that I needed a scone emoji, but now I do, I cannot get over how this glaring gap in the emojis repertoire could have been missed.

Claire’s favourite post: ‘Pass The Wine Please – It’s Written in the Stars. If they wrote horoscopes for parents. This post really did make me giggle. Especially the sudden requirement to learn a new skill (we’ve all been there)…’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘So Happy In Town S.H.I.T – Imagine How Sweet Life Would Be If… This post has made me realise that I am still living the life of a teenager. Just the bad bits – spots and sleepless nights, and with none of the fun! A post that made me laugh and then curse myself! ‘

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

‘May the odds of finding a space within 10 miles of the school be ever in your favour.’

3. Sulkiator

‘My name is Maximus Schoolius Starterius, Commander of the Armies of the Tantrum, General of the Sulky Legions and loyal servant to the art of foot dragging. Sister to a toddler who doesn’t have to go to school, daughter to a mother who doesn’t have to go to school. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.’

4. (School Run) A Team

‘I love it when a plan comes together. Probably. I’ll let you know if it ever happens.’

5. (Getting Kids Into School) Role Models

‘Oh boy, classic case of kid on the ground.’

6. School Run of Dreams

‘If you bribe them, they will come.’

7. Taxi Mummy

(*Mummy to herself in the car*) ‘You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one bloody listening.’

8. Notting Hill Mummy

‘I’m just a mummy, standing in front of a kid, asking her to put on her damn shoes.’

Welcome to Friday Frolics, the linky with the giggles. Friday Frolics is hosted by myself, Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes, and Emma at Island Living 365. It’s the place to link up your funny posts and snort your tea whilst enjoying some others.

Thank you to everyone who linked up their fantastic funny posts last time. Next week there won’t be a Friday Frolics – we’re taking a break while everyone goes to Britmums! We’ll be back on October 6th – hope to see you then.

Friday Favourites

My favourite post from last week: Apply to Face Blog – Deep Fried Apple Pies. More hilarious and delicious recipes ,this time pie for those days where you’ve reversed into a parked car, forgotten the shopping, put bleach in the washing machine by accident, and nearly had a collision, all of which could of course happen to anyone!

Claire’s favourite post: ‘Daddy Poppins – Settling in at Creche. I particularly liked the code words in this post. My eldest son is often described as ‘vocal’ aka chatterbox / he never stops talking. They say this like it is news to me!!!’

Emma’s favourite post: ‘Four Princesses and the Cheese – Today Feels Like a Good Day to Start a Juice Cleanse. There is NEVER a good day to start juice cleanse. As someone who once did a juice cleanse for 7 whole miserable days, I feel Kirstin’s pain. She even went spinning, as if the juice wasn’t torture enough! This post will make you never want to touch a juice, ever!’

I am looking forward to all the fun and frolics, but first for a couple of serious bits.

The Rules:

1. Make us laugh! Friday Frolics is all about the funny, so please no reviews, or how to make a finger puppet (unless, of course, they are hilarious).

2. Include the Friday Frolics badge in the post that you are linking. If you do not include the badge, you will not be eligible to feature as a Friday Favourite.

3. Comment on one of each of the hosts’ posts, and at least one other post for every post you link up. Share the fun people! Use #FridayFrolics when you comment on posts so people can see where you are linking from.

4. You can link up to 2 posts, old or new.

Other Stuff:

By joining this linky, you consent to receiving e-mails from me about Friday Frolics.

Follow us on twitter and tweet your links to @lifeloveanddd @sillymummy88 using #FridayFrolics for a RT.

The Linky will open at 8pm on Thursday evening, and close at 11pm on Sunday.

Well, the list of the most popular baby names of last year has been released by the Office for National Statistics, and there has been something of a shock result at number one.

Not in the boys’ names. That’s still Oliver. All of the boys are still called Oliver. Urban legend suggests that some boys are actually not called Oliver, but they succumb to societal pressure to conform when they start nursery and school. They just resign themselves to the fact that no one is going to remember that they aren’t called Oliver, and everyone is going to call them Oliver. After about a week, they come to believe that they probably always were called Oliver anyway. Plus, they didn’t like feeling left out of the stampede that happens when the teacher says ‘Oliver, come and get your book/milk/bag/coat.’

So, no surprises with the boys. But the girls? Oh the girls. There has been a shake-up at the top. Amelia has fallen. This is not a drill. Amelia has fallen. Amelia, which has been the top name for so long we’ve actually all had time to get over the loss of Amelia Pond from Doctor Who during its reign, is no more. That’s a bit of an exaggeration: Amelia is number two. Didn’t fall very far, to be fair.

Oh yes, last year people giving birth to little girls went rogue, they thought outside of the box, they…well, they called the little girls Oliver too, basically. Yes, Amelia was finally toppled from the top by the feminine version of the reigning boys’ name. I imagine the thinking was: ‘This is all well and good – all the boys are called Oliver. It’s easy to remember. But this whole girls’ name thing is a problem. That name we’re using is like a whole separate name. Ain’t nobody got time for that shit. Surely there is something a bit more similar to Oliver we could be calling these girls?’ Then somebody had a brainwave. From way out of left field they came up with…well, the name that all the girls were called before they were all called Amelia, actually. (We’ve travelled back in time to 2010. I think Amelia Pond would like that.) The queen is dead, long live the queen.

Apparently, there was a period of about 200 years when all girls were called Mary once upon a time. And, of course, 9 out of 10 girls born in the 1970s and 1980s were called Jennifer. People like to be consistent. Or maybe everyone just gets these names stuck in their head and isn’t quite sure why: ‘Well, there was this one name I heard somewhere – I’m not sure where – that was quite nice…’ Thus the cycle continues. The self-perpetuating cycle of Oliver.

Of course, the main thing to note here – the really important thing – is that, no matter how many Olivers and Olivias there may be, only one couple were daft enough to call their baby Sir…

(*Disclaimer: This is just a bit of fun. I think Oliver, Amelia and Olivia are all lovely names. I do not think Sir is a lovely name. I think it’s effing stupid. That is all.*)

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